By TwoCirles.net Staff Reporter
Jammu and Rawalkot: In a joint petition, over 130 eminent citizens of the divided State of Jammu and Kashmir have urged Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi to resume ceasefire along the Line of Control and begin the process of dialogue to resolve the Kashmir issue by including all the people of Jammu and Kashmir.
This initiative is led by two civil society activists across the LoC; Anuradha Bhasin, Executive Editor, daily Kashmir Times, and Ershad Mahmud, Executive Director, Center for Peace, Development, and Reforms from Pakistan.
The petition has already gained momentum and people are coming together in significant numbers to encourage this initiative. It so far has got signatures from various senior political leaders, poets, authors, journalists, civil society activists, former civil servants, ex-diplomats and army personnel, as well as people from the academia.
The petition pronounces that if current tension at the borders is allowed to prolong, it will jeopardise the stability of the region and might escalate into an all-out war. Besides, the skirmishes at the LoC augment the sufferings of the people residing not just near the border areas but eventually for the entire population of the erstwhile Jammu and Kashmir State.
It also raises concern and anxiety regarding the mushrooming growth of radical elements and warmongers in India and Pakistan who exploit the situation on LoC to promote hatred between the two countries. The petition claims that the ongoing spate of violence would sanction the warmongers on both sides. It also urges the political leadership in New Delhi and Islamabad to impress upon their respective militaries for bringing an immediate end to this continuum of shelling and firing.
The organizers stated that the petition would be soon online for further signatures and support. According to Indian official data, there were 347 ceasefire violations in 2013; 583 in 2014; 405 in 2015; and 449 in 2016. Pakistan’s official data accuses India of 464 ceasefire violations in 2013; 315 in 2014; 248 in 2015; and 382 in 2016. But 2017 saw a manifold increase in the number of ceasefire violations if both countries’ data is taken into account.
On December 19, the government informed the lower house of the Indian parliament that Pakistan had violated the ceasefire along the line of control 811 times. Pakistan countered the accusations, putting the number of Indian ceasefire violations at 1,300 for the year.
According to statistics by Ministry of Defense, 192 violations took place this year until January 29, killing eight civilians and injuring 58.